


You make it feel like Christmas

by AbbyHolmes



Category: Call of Duty (Video Games), Call of Duty Advanced Warfare - Fandom, Gidchell - Fandom, cod
Genre: Christmas, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, GidChell, I also promise to actually finish this (before the year ends), I promise this will only have two chapters, I wrote this merely for my own comfort in this 2020 hellfire but maybe someone ells enjoys this mess, It's 2020 and I can't stop writing about Gidchell, M/M, Oh boy why did I promise this, The Christmas Two-Shot Sequel NOBODY asked for, Yeah I'm still on this ship, bear with me, peppered with a bit of drama (I mean I am still me)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:53:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28154904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbbyHolmes/pseuds/AbbyHolmes
Summary: Short Christmas-Sequel to "Say something, I'm giving up on you". Mitchell has decided to celebrate a real Christmas with Gideon for the first time ever.Watch them look back on Christmas in their ATLAS past, manoever Christmas Dinner chaos and avoid stuff they really need to talk about.Gidchell Fluff ahead.
Relationships: Gidchell - Relationship, Gideon & Jack Mitchell (Call of Duty), Gideon/Jack Mitchell (Call of Duty)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> WELL HELLO THERE, Gidchell-Family =) It's me, the woman who will apparently never stop writing about those guys.
> 
> This is a mini Christmas-sequel to my monster of a fic "Say something, I'm giving up on you" which I guess you should have read before reading this because I guess most of this story won't make any sense to you if you didn't. You find this multi-chapter epic drama of the boys getting together here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3601488/chapters/7945197 
> 
> Anyway. After finishing this long-ass fic after five years, what is the logical consequence? Moving on? Noooo. Writing a sequel nobody fucking asked for of course.  
> This is Christmas and domesticity and fluff and...*sigh* I just wanted some nice things in all this madness so I had to write about my ship in my headcanon. Forgive me if this is tooth-rotting but those two just...I love them, okay? <3
> 
> ANYWAY I am rambling. I hope any of you likes this little Christmas treat.  
> Chapter two is in the works and will feature Ilona and Dex :)

Mitchell took a step back, a hand on his chin and tilting his head to the side. He spotted space for another bauble and let his hand dive into one of the boxes to his feet. After hanging the red Christmas ball on the branch, he smiled and took another look at the tree covered in lights and shining decorations. He nodded, happy with his work and collected the boxes on the floor to store them at the supply closet. After clearing up the living room, he wiped his glittery hands on his trousers, surprised that those little particles stuck to him like glue – even on his prosthetic. Mitchell accepted with a frown that he couldn’t get rid of the glitter and checked the watch on his wrist. It was half past five p.m. He should arrive here any minute. A grin spread on Mitchell’s face and a little tingle rose in his stomach. He couldn’t wait to reveal his surprise and hoped it would be a success. It was, after all, their first real Christmas together. Yes, they had been together last Christmas, but back then they had just gotten together and unsure about the new found domesticity, they had spend the holidays mostly in front of the television and swore each other not to buy gifts. But this year, things would be different. They would have a proper Christmas. Mitchell heard a key move into the lock at the front door and sat down on the sofa, his legs crossed and a smile on his lips.  
“Hi.” Mitchell grinned as he heard his voice. “Mitchell, you’re home?”  
“Living room!” Mitchell shouted back and couldn’t help himself but to feel excited as he heard his steps nearing the room.  
“What the…” Mitchell turned his head to look at Gideon who stood at the doorframe, his mouth open and his eyes full of surprise. “Wow.” Gideon’s voice had dropped to a whisper and Mitchell stood up, his arms crossed in front of his chest.  
“Too much?”  
Gideons lips closed and formed a smile. One of those earnest, kind ones that always made Mitchell feel all fuzzy and warm inside.  
“It’s fucking perfect.”  
Mitchell smiled back and let Gideon pull him into a tight embrace. Gideon finally released him with a chuckle. “When exactly did you decide to become a Christmas elf?”  
The other man shrugged. “When you told me you never really had Christmas before, I thought…why not start now? It’s never too late for a first Christmas.”  
Gideon smirked. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you that.”  
Mitchell frowned, thinking back to their dinner a couple of nights ago when Gideon had shared that piece of information from his rather dark childhood. “You don’t like the idea.”  
Gideon slightly shook his shoulder. “Don’t be an idiot, Jack. I love it.” He leaned closer to kiss Mitchell on his forehead. “I kind of always envied people who had all this christmassy stuff.”  
Jack grinned. “I guessed so. And that’s why…” He spread his arms. “I thought we should have the full experience this year. Tree, gifts, music, food, guests.”  
Gideon took off his jacket, throwing it on the edge of the sofa with a frown.  
“Guests?”  
“I invited Ilona over. And Dex with his new girlfriend. And for good measure, because one has to deal with annoying family over the holidays, my mother will come visit with my stepdad the day after Christmas. It’s about time you meet them.”  
Gideon pouted. “Wow. How did you get Dex to agree to that? I mean he has been hiding his girlfriend from me for” he sighed “months. I don’t even know the poor woman’s name.”  
“I didn’t. I ambushed him into agreeing by making him think he was invited for a couple of beers and watching sports but after he agreed, I turned it into a dinner invitation for him and Nora – that’s her name by the way – so he couldn’t act like he had no time.”  
Gideon snorted. “Evil. Did he try to weasel his way out of the invitation?”  
“Oh, he did. But I can be very convincing, you know?”  
Gideon laughed. “Oh, I know.” He gave Mitchell a quick kiss on his lips and walked past him to sit down on the sofa and look at the tree some more.  
“How did you get that monster of a tree in here?”  
“By carrying it?”  
“On your own?”  
Mitchel chuckled. “I have to admit it was a bit of a struggle, but I managed. Just don’t wonder if you keep finding needles all through the flat.”  
Gideon looked at him, another one of those smiles on his lips that melted Mitchell’s heart.  
“Thank you, Jack. It’s beautiful.”  
Mitchell scratched the back of his head. “I kind of feel like I sort of overdid it with the lights though.”  
“Nah.” Gideon shook his head. “I don’t think one can overdo it with lights on a tree.”  
He leaned back and let his gaze wander over the tall green tree with a ton of fairy lights, red, green and white Christmas balls and some shiny candy canes of which he wasn’t sure if they were edible or made of glass. Something in his chest warmed and he felt his eyes turn slightly wet. Ever since he had been a child, he had dreamed of a tree like this. But when he had grown up, that dream had sort of died. He had never celebrated Christmas ever since his sister Clara had died and even when she was still alive, they had only ever shared a beer over some cheap presents and a movie inside one of their quarters at ATLAS. During his time as a merc, he had nearly always spent the holidays on a mission while other soldiers were on leave. And last year he had been buried in so much work for his exams that he hadn’t really thought about the possibility of a nice Christmas with Mitchell. He felt Mitchell sit down next to him and smiled when the taller man’s arm slung itself around Gideon’s shoulders. Gideon leaned into Mitchell’s touch, pulling up his feet – he had already gotten out of his shoes at the door – and snuggling into his arms. He looked up and their eyes met. “This is nice.”  
Mitchell nodded, his eyes fixed on Gideon’s. “So you’re not mad?”  
Gideon frowned. “Why would I be?”  
“Because you will have to do all the cooking.”  
A laughter escaped Gideon’s lips and after a few seconds, Mitchell joined in.  
“I guessed as much when you mentioned we’ll be having dinner guests.”  
Mitchell poked him in the ribs. “I’m not that bad of a cook.”  
“Heating up water to cook dried noodles isn’t cooking, Jack.”  
Mitchell rolled his eyes. “Why would I learn to cook if I have you?” Gideon’s smile faltered a bit and Mitchell frowned. “Everything alright?”  
Gideon closed his eyes and rubbed over his eyelids. “Yeah, all’s good. I’m just tired.”  
“How did your last exam go?”  
“Okay, I guess.”  
“You always say that and then you get way above ‘okay’ grades.”  
Gideon shrugged, cuddling closer to his chest. “It’s part of my charm though.”  
Mitchell snorted and wrapped his arms tighter around his boyfriend.  
They fell silent, enjoying each other’s company for a couple of minutes.  
“Hey.” Gideon finally broke the silence. “Do you remember that year we tried to have some kind of Christmas at the base together?”  
Mitchell laughed. “You mean the year we ran into each other and got shitfaced on Christmas night? I would lie if I said that I’d remember all of it, but yeah. There is a memory.”  
“We didn’t actually ‘run into each other’.”  
Mitchell frowned again. “I think we did. I was strolling around the cafeteria and you were the only other soul there.”  
“Well.” Gideon sat up, smiling. “I was kind of sitting there hoping to see you?”  
“You did?”  
Gideon shrugged. “Probably.”  
  


3 YEARS EARLIER

Gideon stared at the cold coffee in his cup. What on earth was he doing here? Mitchell apparently wasn’t getting his usual evening-coffee today so what was he even waiting for? Why was he hoping to see the man anyway? Gideon sighed. Company, probably. Mitchell was good company. And the only decent one available. Ilona had gone home to her Russian family over the holidays for the first time in years and Joker was with his family as well. And Gideon…he’d normally gone to a bar, gotten drunk and found someone to spend the night with. But this year he kind of didn’t feel like it. He’d rather had gone on a mission, but Iron’s had practically ordered him and the rest of the squad to take some time off, ‘catch a breath’. Gideon hated it. Every second of it. He took a sip from the dreadful cold coffee and made a disgusted face. Maybe Mitchell had gone home over the holidays after all. He still had a mother, hadn’t he? Gideon swallowed the coffee and decided to drive to a bar and find someone to shag after all, when he heard steps approaching and lifted his head.

“Well, aren’t you the picture of cheer, captain?”  
Mitchell looked down at Gideon who looked even more grumpy than usual. His captain just snorted as a reply, so Mitchell pulled the chair next to him back and sat down, placing his cup of fresh hot coffee on the table. He took a look around. “We really are the only idiots left.”  
It sounded more like a question than a statement. Gideon shrugged.  
“Apparently.”  
“Hmh.” Mitchell leaned back in his chair, taking a sip from his cup.  
They fell silent. The silence made Mitchell nervous. Not that it would have been unusual for them to have this kind of not-conversation. But lately, the silences between had started to stretch, to become uncomfortable. Mitchell swallowed, wrapping his cold hands around his cup.  
“Any plans tonight?”  
Gideon took a second to reply. “None at all.”  
Silence.

“You?”, his captain finally asked back.  
“Zero.”  
Gideon chuckled and let his cup clink against Mitchell’s.  
“Merry fucking Christmas.”  
“Same to you.”  
Gideon cleared his throat. “We should get drunk.”  
Mitchell looked up from his cup, a light smirk on his lips when he met Gideon’s eyes.  
“We absolutely should.”  
Gideon stood up. “Meet you in ten minutes outside the base, usual spot?”  
“Aye.”  
Gideon barely waited for his reply, leaving the cafeteria with something that looked loke a wave gone wrong. Mitchell emptied his cup with a frown. It felt like this was going to be a weird night.

He turned out to be right. But it got a different kind of weird that he had expected.  
It all started with Gideon turning up at their meeting point without a piece of his uniform. Sure, he had Gideon seen in civilian clothing before – it wasn’t their first trip to the local nightlife after all – but it was a rare thing that Gideon even took his beanie off and wore something other than cargo pants. Mitchell caught himself staring at Gideon’s ass more than once during their way to the bar. Those Jeans were tight. Mitchell tried not to think of pulling Gideon out of those Jeans too much, but it was harder than usual. He’d had the hots for his captain for years now, but the closer they grew as friends, the worse it got. Mitchell thought he had his crush under control. That it was nothing but that – a crush. But nights like this when Gideon grinned at him handing him a beer bottle and leaned a little closer than necessary to him while talking after a couple of drinks – well, it became a little more difficult.  
  
Gideon had decided to get as drunk as possible as fast as possible. It was the only way to stand Mitchell in his dark shirt that made his eyes stand out and with that smile that seemed plastered on his face tonight. It moved something is his chest when Mitchell looked at him like he was the only person in the room and Gideon hated that. He really did. Mostly. It wasn’t too horrible most of the time, but it could be. Mitchell was his subordinate after all. Friend or not, it was inappropriate how badly he wanted to…well do something other that purely comradery things to his, well, comrade. And even if he weren’t a fellow soldier under his command – Mitchell was straight and too good of a friend to ruin this for a bit of sex. Cause that was all that Gideon wanted from Mitchell, of course. Especially when he listened to the other man’s laugh about his jokes and felt his warmth radiating from his body that always seemed a little too close in the crowded bar. Gideon swallowed and ordered another drink.

Soon enough, they were both shitfaced, sitting at one of the tables in the far corner from the bar, chatting away without really thinking about it anymore.  
“Why didn’t you go home for Christmas?”, Gideon uttered after a little beer-infused burp.  
Mitchell sighed, nibbling on the label around his half-empty beer bottle. “My mum and I are difficult.”  
Gideon frowned. “How comes?”  
“It’s a long, depressing story.”  
Gideon nodded, understanding that Mitchell didn’t want to talk about it.  
“You?” Mitchell asked, taking another sip.  
Gideon raised his brows. “Me what?”  
“Why didn’t you go home over the holidays?”  
The older man snorted, a smirk on his lips that didn’t reach his eyes.  
“Atlas is home.”  
Mitchell laughed. “Now that is pathetic.”  
Gideon chuckled, but it sounded bitter. His gaze glued to his hands around his bottle, he nodded. “Yeah. Mostly, it is.”  
Mitchell bit his lip. He had apparently hit a nerve. But he was too drunk and too nosy to back down now. “I sense a but in that answer.”  
Gideon took a swig from his bottle, the corners of his mouth twitching into a little smile. Mitchell felt something melt inside him and was suddenly very aware how close to his own Gideon’s bottle-less hand remained on the table. He swallowed while Gideon put down the bottle and leaned back in his seat on the bench. “But Atlas is also family. That may be pathetic, but…” He shrugged. “It’s the truth. For me at least.”  
Their eyes met and for a brief moment, Mitchell was sure that his heart would escape from his chest right then and there. He sank into Gideon’s eyes and had to force himself not to make a wrong move. Holding his breath, he watched Gideon’s smile slowly falter and turn into something that looked like an insecurity he’d never seen on the other man’s face. Mitchell searched for his voice and cleared his throat.  
“I get that. It’s the same for me.”  
Gideon chuckled, clinking his bottle against Mitchell’s. “Brothers in arms, right?”  
Mitchell’s heart sank, but he smiled and nodded. “Yes. Brothers.”  
  
Gideon wanted to hit his drunk head against something hard. What the hell was wrong with him? What was he thinking going into confession-mode like this? This was dangerous territory and the way that Mitchell had suddenly stared at him like a deer in headlights had finally confirmed what he’d already known. Mitchell was a friend, a brotherly one even, but that was that. Gideon raised his arm to call the waitress and order something stronger than beer. Now that he’d given part of his dignity away, all he wanted to do was to drink enough to forget about this conversation completely.

Everything after this was a blur in Gideon’s memory. When he woke up in his bed the next morning, he had no recollection whatsoever about how he had gotten there. He just sat up, acknowledging the huge hangover forming behind his forehead and found out that his clothes had been placed on the stool next to his window carefully and he had slept in his briefs. He had wiped his face and got up to clean himself and decided that he hadn’t been this drunk apparently. Maybe he was just getting too old to remember everything after this much of alcohol.

Mitchell never forgot about the rest of the night. After Gideon started drinking Tequila at a bit of an alarming rate, Mitchell had stopped drinking. Just in case. He didn’t trust himself enough not to make a move on his drunk friend and besides that – someone had to be able to get them both back to base eventually. It turned out that Mitchell’s decision had been a good one because after another hour of talking and laughing and enjoying themselves, the evening shifted. Gideon was far more than shitfaced. When he tried to get up to take a piss, he nearly tipped over. While he was away, Mitchell had the waitress switch Gideon’s drink for water and when he came back, he never even noticed. After nearly falling asleep on the table, Gideon finally gave in to Mitchell’s suggestion to get back and call it a day – only to struggle to even get up. So Mitchell had basically nearly carried Gideon out of the bar where Gideon’s stomach had suddenly decided that it’d had enough. Before he could move out of the line of fire, Gideon had thrown up all over Mitchell’s shoes and the younger man couldn’t help but laugh when his captain started frantically apologizing to him  
“Fuck Mitchell I’m…ssssso sorry, really I mean…” He nearly tipped over and Mitchell tightened his grip around his hip. “I’ma disaster. Sssoosorry.”  
“It’s alright. It’s nice not to be the drunker idiot for a change.”  
Gideon chuckled and leaned against his body for support as they slowly made their way back to the base. “You’re never an idiot, Jack”, Gideon suddenly whispered, right next to his ear. And even though his breath smelt of vomit and beer, Mitchell had to swallow hard to keep the goosebumps in check that spread over his back when Gideon’s voice tickled his ear.  
  
The rest of the way, Gideon had fallen silent, because his body was close to just falling asleep then and there. Mitchell finally managed to drag him back to his quarters and without putting too much thought into it, he stripped his captain from his boots while he sat at the edge of his bed.  
“Whatyoudoing?” Gideon asked and Mitchell told him to shut up and wanted to leave when Gideon suddenly grabbed his hand.  
He had stared at Gideon in confusion and disbelief. Gideon wasn’t a person to touch anyone if unnecessary. Help you up in combat – sure. Provide you with a body to lean on if injured – of course. Check your vitals when badly hurt – yes. But he never touched Mitchell without reason before. And he never left his hand in Mitchell’s longer than a second. This drunk version of Gideon however – did. Mitchell had watched Gideon try to say something, but watched him fail. He was simply too drunk. So Mitchell had just knelt before him, freeing his hand from Gideon’s surprisingly tight grip and asked: “Should I give you a hand with your clothes, brother?”  
And Gideon had nodded, a weird distant expression on his face, before he started wriggling out of his shirt and stayed completely still, while Mitchell stripped him from his trousers, trying not to look at Gideon’s now bare chest. It wasn’t like Mitchell had never seen Gideon halfway undressed – he had, in the shower, after training. But he had never been as close as this to just lean in for a kiss. When Gideon finally pulled his blanket over himself and cuddled into his mattress, Mitchell had collected his clothes from the floor, arranged it carefully on the chair next to the window like he knew Gideon usually did and left in a hurry, missing the “stay”, Gideon had mumbled, half-asleep.

They never talked about it. Mitchell just decided to save it under ‘weird drunk night with a friend’ and Gideon had forgotten most of it anyway. There was no awkwardness between them. Even less than before. Because Gideon finally felt sure that there was nothing between than but friendship. Before, there had been moments when he had thought that there was something more, but after that night, it was different. Gideon decided it was enough. There was no reason to keep chasing a hope as inappropriate as this. Mitchell was his best comrade. Maybe even his best friend. A brother. Mitchell in the meantime thought the same thing. That it was time to stop dreaming about something that was bound to never happen and so he buried his crush inside himself as deep as he could. Still telling himself it was nothing but that. A crush. One that was over now. And they became even closer friends. Friends that blindly trusted each other. That kind of friends among whom silence is never uncomfortable, but peaceful. Until that day they tried to save the world on their own and noticed that the sheer thought of losing the other one was tearing them apart.

The day Gideon had visited Mitchell in rehabilitation after the Manticore-Mission, he had known. Seeing Mitchell in agony tore his insides to pieces and he knew it would always be this way. If he had had any indication back then that Mitchell had any feelings other than a very deep friendship for him, he would possibly have given in to his own feelings. But Mitchell had been miserable and busy getting better. So Gideon had stuffed his feelings away again.

Mitchell took a bit longer to realize that his crush was more than a crush. It was the desert that finally made him see it. Holding Gideon and seeing the life pouring out of him, he had realised his crush was love, actually.

PRESENT

“I fucking threw up on you?” Gideon asked, sitting up and moving away from Mitchell’s embrace in order to look at him. The other man chuckled.  
“You did. I had to get rid of these shoes.”  
“I can’t believe you never told me. If you had thrown up on me, I’d have reminded you of that day in and day out.”  
Mitchell shrugged. “I guess I just wanted to forget about that night because it was confusing.”  
Gideon nodded, snorting. “It was. I remember resisting the urge to kiss you being...” he sighed “near impossible.”  
“Same on my part. I wanted to kiss you really badly. If only we hadn’t been such idiots.”  
Gideon smiled. “We really were idiots. But on the other hand...don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying nearly dying to get here was an experience I craved in my live, but maybe it was better this way. Had I really made a move on you while you were my subordinate, it would have made matters way more complicated. I would have never stayed behind at Atlas when you left to collect that data. And without it...I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Maybe the universe made us wait for a reason.”  
Mitchell grinned. “Did you have psychology class today?”  
Gideon poked him with his elbow and rolled his eyes. “Can’t a man contemplate about the ways of the universe without being mocked?”  
Mitchell planted a kiss on his cheek. “Men can. You can’t.” He got to his feet. “Anyway, there is still a ton of things to do.”  
Gideon raised his brows. “Like?”  
Mitchell reached into a box to hit feet and pulled out a huge line of fairy lights.  
“Getting those on the roof.”  
Gideon threw his head back. “Did I mention how hard the exam was?” Mitchell threw the lights to him and rolled his eyes. “On you feet, old men.”  
Gideon struggled a bit to get up and within a second, Mitchell was there, offering him a hand.  
“Is it bad today?”  
Gideon came to his feet with a little hiss and shrugged. “I must have sat the wrong way, it’s going to get better in a couple of hours.” Mitchell nodded. “I’ll get on the roof, you hand me the lights.”  
Gideon nodded and Mitchell swallowed, ignoring the well-known disappointment on Gideon’s features.

Later that night, after Mitchell had decorated the outside of the house while Gideon made snarky remarks about his rusty climbing skills – Mitchell had to remind him more than once that climbing without an exosuit on an actual roof was not as easy as it looked – they cuddled on the sofa, watching some new detective show. Gideon had his legs spread on Mitchell’s lap where he kneaded the part of Gideon’s leg that still hurt most of the time. It had been more than 18 months since the day in the desert that had changed their lives forever. After a longer period of dating, they had finally labelled their relationship and started introducing each other as “boyfriend” to others. Six months ago, Mitchell had finally moved in with Gideon, who had finally gotten over his fear of letting someone too close. Mitchell still had a talk with his therapist Sophie every three months via zoom, but it had turned into more like of friendly chat to make sure he was alright than an actual therapy sessions. Mitchell was stable and even his nightmares had become a rarity. He couldn’t stand movies or shows about military or war and sometimes, when Dex or Ilona visited and told new stories about the battlefield, he zoned out a bit or left the room until they finished, but all in all, he was good. He was the head of a local self-help group for veterans with PTSD and collected money for veteran support by running sponsored marathons when he wasn’t working. He had been promoted to head of the armoury at his base at the beginning of the year and had gotten so good at evaluating newly discovered ATLAS weapons that other bases often asked for his support. There wasn’t much that reminded him of the horrors that lay so close in their past. The only constant reminder was Gideon’s leg. It wasn’t ever going to be perfectly okay again. The infection had been treated a little too late to avoid muscle damage, but Gideon’s limp had gotten better and apart from a couple of days a month, he managed without painkillers. It had taken the older man a while to accept that his body had changed, but he was still sportive and apart from those rare moments like today when he couldn’t hang fairy lights on a roof, he was at peace with it. He was in his second semester of his medical training at a Uniformed Services university nearby and planning to work at a military hospital if a fellowship was going to be available when he finished in three years. They lived off Mitchell’s salary, their savings and the generous injury award Sentinel had paid Gideon. It was a good life full of comfort and laughter and meaningless, easily resolved fights about full trash bins or dirty dishes. It was normal. Mitchell had adjusted to that normalcy easily. He didn’t miss the battlefield at all. It was different for Gideon, who knew that his days of firing guns were over for good and had accepted his fate. But he still missed it. Being a soldier had been Gideon’s life for so long that he sometimes still struggled being a civilian. He still woke up at half past five every morning. He still never let a day pass without physical exercise. He still was incredibly protective of Mitchell to a degree that sometimes made the younger man roll his eyes. He still mostly dressed in cargo pants and struggled with admitting being sad or in pain whenever his conditioned discipline interfered. Mitchell was the only one who noticed the sadness in his partner’s eyes after an evening with their friends when Gideon had listened to their new adventures and their base’s gossip, but he rarely commented on it. He knew this was Gideon’s struggle and he also knew he wanted to be left alone about the subject. Which was the reason why Mitchell hadn’t asked about that envelope on Gideon’s nightstand with Sentinel’s emblem on it even a full week since Gideon had accidentally left it there before stuffing it into a drawer. He would ask Gideon about it though. After Christmas. After Christmas, for sure.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon and Jack celebrate a rather special Christmas with their friends.  
> And Gideon has somnething to confess he fears might make Mitchell angry...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I can't believe I really managed to finish this before Christmas. Phew.  
> I hope you enjoy it and it maybe helps to get you into a bit of christmas mood despite all the covid-shit.
> 
> Fluff-Warning. All the fluff ahead. Beware of the over-fluffyness.

The two weeks before Christmas passed within the blink of an eye and then it was Christmas eve and Mitchell laughed about Gideon’s reading glasses fogging up when he checked on the traditional British Christmas turkey he had spend all day preparing. Gideon pouted at his laughter and threw the oven cloth after him after he had closed the oven again. “Make yourself useful and start setting the table.” Mitchell obeyed with a chuckle and started getting the dishes from the cabinet. “So”, he said while placing the dishes on the tablecloth he had ironed this morning. “Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room before everybody gets here?”  
Gideon, who had put his reading glasses on the countertop next to the cookbook, raised his brows. “What elephant?”  
Mitchell looked at him, his head crooked to the side while his hands folded napkins into Christmas tree shapes. “I understand that you don’t want this to be a big deal, but it is okay if you feel weird about seeing Dex with another woman for the first time since your sister.”  
Gideon sighed, leaning on his hands that rested on the countertop. His lips formed a small smile and he gazed into the distance when he answered. “Of course it’s weird, but Claire has been dead for such a long time…” He swallowed. “It’s about damn time Dex found someone. And I am happy for him.”  
“I think Dex doesn’t really know that.”  
Gideon sighed. “I know. I’ve been meaning to talk about this with him for months, but he always changes the subject if I even dare to ask anything about her. I mean I get it. It must be weird to talk about your girlfriend with your dead wife’s brother, but he is also my friend and I wish he’d just…” Gideon shrugged. “I don’t know.”  
Mitchell appeared next to him, gently pressing his shoulder. “You’ll both come around. Tonight will probably be awkward, but it’s a start.”  
Gideon snorted. “You mean he won’t be able to hide her from me again after tonight?”  
Mitchell chuckled. “I guess not.” He fetched wine glasses from the cabinet above Gideon’s head and kissed him on the cheek in the process. Gideon sighed. “Can I address another elephant while we’re at it?”  
Mitchell nodded while putting the glasses on the table. “Shoot.”  
“Your mum. You barely ever mention her and as far as I know she doesn’t approve of this…” he pointed at himself and then Mitchell “but now she comes visiting with your stepdad?”  
Mitchell stopped ins his movements and grabbed the backrest of the chair he was standing next to.  
“It’s complicated.”  
Gideon walked over to the table and sat down. “Humour me.”  
Mitchell sat down as well, running his fingers through his hair. “She called. Apparently she has met another gay men at her book club and had some sort of late epiphany. When I told her I am in a serious relationship right now and am no longer a soldier…” Mitchell shrugged. “She wants to make amends.”  
Gideon raised his brows. “And you want that too?”  
Mitchell shrugged. “I don’t know yet. But if I learned anything within the last years, it’s that second chances do make sense sometimes. If she’s still that woman I remember I can always go back to only calling her once a year or not at all, but if she’s really changed, I don’t know…”  
Gideon sighed. “You’re not obliged to forgive your parents, you know that, right?”  
Mitchell chuckled. “Look at you with your newfound therapy-wisdom.”   
Gideon rolled his eyes but before he could say something, Mitchell continued. “I know that. But I would love to finally have a relationship with my mother again. She is my only living relative after all. And I want her to meet you. Let her see that I am finally happy and safe. I feel like I owe her that much.”  
“You don’t owe anything to anyone.”  
Mitchell reached across the table for his hand. “I know that, Gid. I’m just exceeding the olive branch to her. If she takes it, fine. If she doesn’t, I’m not losing anything.”  
Gideon hummed, not sounding entirely convinced.  
“Just promise me not to act all overprotective and throw her out of the house after the first mean word out of her mouth, okay?”  
“I’ll try.”  
Mitchell pressed his hand and got up. “But that’s tomorrow. Today is our Christmas. With our chosen family.” He walked around the table to pull Gideon to his feet and put his arms around him, glancing into his eyes. “And it’s going to be great.” They kissed until Gideon carefully pulled away. “It will be, if you let me get back into the kitchen.”  
Mitchell sighed. “I’d rather pull you back somewhere else right now.”  
Gideon made a low growling noise, kissing Mitchell’s neck and leaning to his ear, whispering “Later”, before he hurried back to the kitchen.  
Mitchell smiled and continued setting the table, glancing over to his boyfriend every now and then, his heart full of bliss and comfort.

It was Mitchell who had to get the door later because Gideon was busy doing god knows what at the kitchen. He had insisted on cooking three courses and since Mitchell was a lousy cook, was preparing them all on his own. Mitchell wasn’t sure if Gideon wasn’t a bit in over his head, but he also knew that he’d never, not in a million years, admit that, so he just left him to it and took over the task to greet their guests at the door. He was glad that Ilona was the first one to arrive. As always, she greeted him with a short “hey” before marching inside and getting rid of her as dirty as usual army boots. To Mitchell’s surprise, she was actually wearing a blouse and some jeans instead of her usual cargopants and hoodie combination. “You look nice.”  
Ilona raised her brows and held up a package. “Merry Christmas.” He took the gift from her hands and held back a smirk. It was somehow wrapped, but the amount of Sellotape holding it together was mindblowing. “Thank you.” He gestured towards the living room. “Gid’ is still in the kitchen and should be close to a meltdown by now so let’s get to the living room.”  
Ilona laughed, reaching down to her bag and pulling out a bottle of vodka. “This might help.”  
Mitchell chuckled. “You’ve had worse ideas.”  
They walked to the kitchen together.  
  
Ilona and Mitchell stood in the doorframe, watching Gideon, who was humming and wearing an apron, stirring a sauce and handling vegetables in a pan while checking the turkey every couple of minutes and chopping some herbs. All at once, like it was nothing. Ilona poked Mitchell’s ribs. “Who is that man and what have you done to him?”  
Mitchell chuckled. “I have absolutely no idea.”  
Gideon was so absorbed with cooking he hadn’t even noticed them yet, so he jumped a little when Ilona walked towards him with a “Man, civilian life really is your secret calling”. Gideon looked up with raised brows and a smile. “Not so sure about that.” He put down the knife and walked around the counter to hug Ilona, who awkwardly patted him on the back. “Are you okay?”  
Gideon chuckled. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”  
Ilona laughed. “Right. Of course. Have a drink with us?” She handed him the bottle and he smirked. “Why not?”  
Gideon got them a couple of shot glasses and they chinked glasses before swallowing this first round whole. Mitchell was the first one to loudly exhale. “Holy shit, Ilona, what is this stuff?”  
Ilona shrugged, putting her glass on the counter completely unfazed. “Russian vodka.”  
Gideon put his glass down, nodding. “New supply by your grandmother?”  
Ilona grinned. “You remember?”  
“How could I not? We used to drink this shit all the time. Before Irons forbade liquor other than beer on the grounds.”  
“And whose fault was that?”  
Gideon snorted and looked at Mitchell with a smirk. “Private ‘of course I can keep up with you’ Mitchell.”  
Mitchell frowned. “I drank this hellish stuff before?”  
Ilona laughed. “Once. And I’m not surprise you don’t remember.”  
Gideon winked at him. “It was our celebration of getting Hades.”  
“Ah.” Mitchell nodded. “Yeah I remember remembering none of that.”  
They all laughed until Mitchell sighed and Gideon got back behind the counter to keep an eye on his sauce.   
“Atlas seems to have been a lifetime ago” Mitchell said, fumbling at his empty shotglass.  
Ilona nodded. “We’re getting old.”  
Gideon chuckled. “Speak for yourself. I am a student. That automatically makes me qualify as ‘young’.”  
“Of course.” Ilona looked at Mitchell with raised brows. “And what about you, Mitchell? Are you our ageing puppy?”  
Mitchell frowned. “No. No, I was born old.”  
Ilona poured herself another shot. “I drink to that.” She drank without even blinking.   
The doorbell rang and Mitchell excused himself.

“Come in, come in!” Mitchell greeted Dex and the blonde woman accompanying him.  
She exceeded her hand and he shook it. “I’m Nora. Thanks for the invitation.”  
He smiled and gestured for her to hand him her coat. “Nice to meet you Nora. I’m Jack.”  
Nora frowned while handing him her brown cashmere coat. “I thought your name was Mitchell.”  
He chuckled. “That’s my last name. Us military guys have a habit of calling each other by the last name sometimes, so I guess that’s why Dex calls me that when talking about me.” He threw Dex a look. “But good to know that you do talk about me.”  
Dex rolled his eyes and greeted Mitchell with a short hug. “Please tell me Gid is doing the cooking?”  
Mitchell smirked. “He is. And he’s so calm it’s pretty frightening.”  
Dex nodded and Mitchell watched him swallow. He pressed his shoulder. “I meant about the cooking.” He winked and showed Nora to the living room after hanging her coat on the rack next to the door. Dex followed them. “So Nora, what is it that you do?”, Mitchell asked.  
“I’m a teacher.”  
“A teacher.” Mitchell threw Dex an impressed glance and held back a smirk as he rolled his eyes. “At what kind of school?”  
“Elementary school. I teach maths and history.”  
“Nice combination.” Mitchell smiled and offered them both a seat at the sofa. “Can I offer you something to drink?”  
Nora nodded. “Oh, a water would be nice.”  
He looked at Dex, who uttered a “something stronger.”  
Mitchell smirked. “Ilona arrived with some nasty Russian vodka. Care for a shot?”  
Dex nodded. “Bring the bottle.”   
“Just a second.”  
  
When he entered the kitchen, he caught Ilona and Gideon in what looked like a heated whispered discussion. They scattered when they noticed him and so he only caught Ilona urging Gideon “you have to tell him soon, before he gets the wrong idea” before they fell silent.  
Mitchell frowned. “Did I miss something?”  
Ilona just snorted and looked at her feet, while Gideon shook his head with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “No. Did Dex and Nora arrive?”  
Mitchell nodded, deciding to let them get away with their lame excuses for now. “Yeah. And Dex needs this, I guess.” He grabbed the vodka bottle from the counter and looked at Ilona.  
“You’re coming?”   
Ilona exchanged a quick glance with Gideon before she followed Mitchell.

After a brief introduction of Ilona to Nora, they sat together in the living room, their drinks in hand. Mitchell had decided to stick to beer for now. The vodka had already blurred his vision more than necessary and he didn’t want to be drunk before dinner even started.   
“So.” He leaned back in his armchair. “How have you all been?” He looked at Dex and Ilona. “All good at your base?”  
They both nodded. Ilona crossed her legs and sipped on her vodka. “Just the usual. But no dispatch to any new mission until January.”  
Nora cleared her throat. “I’m still getting used to this.”  
Mitchell looked at her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bore you with our work-talk.”  
“No.” Nora laughed. It sounded nervous. “Please, don’t mind me being here. I’d love to listen to all your stories and get to know you. I just meant I am getting used to Dex…” she shrugged “going places to shoot people and then hopefully come back…” her voice died and she sipped on her water, smiling a smile that seemed in danger to falter any second. Dex kneaded his hands and Ilona stared into her own lap with raised brows. Mitchell nodded. “Yeah. That must be really weird for you. I understand.”  
Nora looked at him, surprised. “You do?”  
“Of course. I mean I used to be a soldier, but having friends doing this job is weird. I know they usually get back safely because they are both badass” he smiled at them and Ilona smirked “but it is weird to know that they go into battles while we go on with our normal civilian lives.”  
Nora swallowed. “Yeah. It’s not so much about the risk. Not that I don’t know that there is one.” She looked at Dex with a forced smile and he took her hand into his. “It’s more that it’s kind of surreal, you know?”  
Mitchell nodded. “I totally get that.” He nodded towards the two soldiers. “They can’t, they haven’t been civilians in a while. But I do.”  
Nora smiled at him and Mitchell got up. “I should check on Gideon. Dinner should be ready any minute. And I bet he can’t wait to meet his best friend’s dashing partner.”  
  
Dinner was in fact, ready, so Gideon ushered him to get their guests into the dining room before the first course – lobster fettucine – could turn cold. Mitchell fetched the others and waited for Dex to finally have the guts to introduce Nora to Gideon. It took a frown from Ilona and a cough from Mitchell before Dex finally took her hand and walked over to Gideon, who was standing at the stove, checking the turkey.  
“Hey mate.”  
Gideon turned from the stove, closed its door and smiled, pulling Dex into a tight hug. “Hey there. Merry Christmas.” He let go of him and before Dex could say another word, he exceeded his hand to Nora. “Hi, I’m Gideon. You must be Nora.” They shook hands and Nora smiled. “Nice to meet you, Gideon.”  
“The pleasure is all mine.” He poked Dex’s shoulder. “I can’t believe this one took so long to introduce us.” Dex looked at him with a still slightly frightened expression and Mitchell intervened, leading Nora to her place at the table.  
Gideon grabbed Dex’s shoulder as he tried to follow her. “Hey.”   
Dex forced himself to meet his gaze. “Gid’, I’m, sorry I didn’t…”  
Gideon nodded. “It’s fine. I’m glad you’re here now. The both of you.”  
They smiled and Dex blinked a bit. “Claire would have loved to see you with that apron and…” he looked over to Mitchell, who was pouring wine in Nora’s glass “with him.”  
Gideon nodded, biting the tip of his tongue to force the water gathering in his eyes back. “I know.” He sighed. “Nora looks lovely.”  
Dex nodded. “She is.”  
“Then I’m happy for you.”  
They half-hugged sideways and awkwardly cleared their throats before finally joining the others.

Gideon had outdone himself with dinner. Everything was flavourful and perfectly cooked and even before dessert, every single one of them was stuffed. They talked and laughed and exchanged old stories about their days at Atlas and Sentinel, staying away from battlefield-stories for Mitchell’s and Nora’s sake. Soon enough, Dex finally relaxed and Nora also seemed to feel a little less uncomfortable. When Gideon proposed to move to Dessert, everyone just moaned how stuffed they were, so Ilona got the vodka bottle and they had two rounds of shots, chuckling about each other’s disgusted faces, while Ilona called them ‘a bunch of pussies’.  
After the laughter finally died, Gideon leaned back in his chair. He had already gotten rid of his tie and opened the first three buttons of his shirt, making the V-neck of his undershirt visible, and was starting to get a bit drunk.  
“So, Nora.” He smiled at her and Mitchell was glad to notice it was one if his kind ones. “How did you meet our Dexter here?”  
He slapped Dex’s shoulder twice and frowned when Nora didn’t answer right away but looked at her hands on the table before looking at Dex. “May I?”  
Gideon looked at Dex, who nodded with a serious expression.  
“Well.” Nora smiled a sad little smile. “Dex and I actually met a couple of years ago. At a group for grieving widows and widowers.” She noticed the suddenly serious expressions of everyone around the table and chuckled. “Oh, lighten up, guys. This is not a sob story. Yes, we have both lost someone, but we’re okay, right?”  
She looked at Dex and he nodded with a smile, taking her hand again.  
“Anyway. We met there and became friends. For a very long time we where nothing but that, even though I attempted to flirt with him more than once and also tried to make him agree to a date. But he was stubborn.” She laughed and Dex grinned. “I wasn’t stubborn, I was an idiot.”  
Gideon laughed. “That sounds like you. So what changed your mind then?”  
Dex bit his lip before he answered. “You.”  
“Hm?” Gideon frowned while sipping on his wine. “Me?”  
Dex nodded. “And Mitchell. I saw the two of you together, making it work after being friends and having been through so much shit and…” He shrugged. “It sounds cheesy, I know, but it encouraged me.” Ilona made a retching noise, but smiled, pouring herself another shot. “Oh, keep going, lovebirds. I can handle it.”   
They all laughed and Nora shrugged. “He just turned up at my doorstep one night, asking me out. I agreed. And here we are now. So thank you, Jack and Gideon, I guess?”  
Mitchell smirked. “Always nice to be of service.” Gideon nodded with a mock-salute and smiled.  
“Just take good care of this one, Nora. He is an idiot. But he is also a good one.”  
Nora smiled, stroking Dex’s hand. “I know.”

They talked until nightfall and then some more and at half past ten, they finally ate dessert, moaning as they indulged themselves with Gideon’s chocolate mousse with Ilona stating ‘really, Sex isn’t any better than this’. Afterwards, Mitchell got up to start collecting the dirty dishes, kissing Gideon on his cheek and signalling that they were allowed to have some battlefield-talk now while he loaded the dishwasher and got onto the balcony for some fresh air.

Not long after he walked out, Ilona joined him, a lit cigarette in hand. She pulled on it and exhaled the smoke with a sigh.  
“I thought you’d quit smoking?”  
She shrugged. “I did. And then I stopped quitting.”  
Mitchell smirked. “Okay.”  
Ilona leaned against the railing next to Mitchell. “You two…” She gestured towards the living room, her cigarette gleaming in the darkness “You’re good together.”  
Mitchell frowned. “Are you drunk?”  
She chuckled. “A bit, maybe. But I mean it. I have to say I didn’t think you could make it work, you know? After all the stuff and the years of stupid pining…” she grinned at him and he rolled his eyes. “You build a new life and I think that’s…” she shrugged “it’s nice. And I am happy for you.”  
Mitchell frowned again. “But?”  
“Nothing.” Ilona shrugged. “Just wanted to say that. Christmas and all…”  
“Hmh.” Mitchell nodded. “I heard you, you know? Telling Gideon to tell me something.”  
Ilona sighed. “Yeah. I figured. That’s why I came out here.” She stubbed out her cigarette on the railing. “It’s something between the two of you and I won’t intervene. He just came to me about it a couple of days ago because he is scared of your reaction and I tried to talk him into telling you instead of making a big secret out of it, but you know him. He’s still Gideon…”  
Mitchell’s eyes widened. “Sentinel wants him back in active duty, am I right?”  
Ilona frowned. “God, no. No, Mitchell. They know he can’t go back to that. And even if he were able to – his leg and all aside – I think he wouldn’t want to, now that he has found something other than fighting.” She smiled at Mitchell. “Don’t worry, it’s not that. But it has to do with Sentinel and Gideon thinks you’re not going to like it. But the rest…” She made a gesture as if to lock her lips. “You have to get out of him.”  
Mitchell sighed, a weight building up in his chest like someone had just burst the happy bubble he had lived inside these last few months. He flinched when he felt Ilona’s hand on his shoulder.  
“Hey, lighten up. It’s going to be alright. Trust me.”  
Mitchell smirked. “Well, if you say so. Come on, get back in there. I know he’s thirsty for some war stories.”  
“You’re good?”  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just leave me for a bit.”  
She shortly stroked his back, then headed back inside with a nod.

It took twenty minutes, in which Mitchell couldn’t stop himself from imagining worst cases like Gideon being forced into duty as field medic, until Gideon joined him on the balcony, a glass of wine and a blanket in hand. He joined Mitchell, who was standing at the rail, looking into the darkness only interrupted by their neighbour’s flashing Christmas lights. Without saying a word, he put the blanket around both their shoulders, handing Mitchell the wine glass.  
“You’ve got some catching up to do. Dex is trying to make me drunk.”  
“As per usual.” Mitchell chuckled and took a sip, but the chuckle sounded off.  
“You okay?”, Gideon asked, pulling him closer.  
Mitchell nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”  
“Come back inside with me. No more talk about bullets and battlefields and stuff.”  
Mitchell chewed upon his bottom lip. “Gid’?”  
“Hm?”  
“Can I ask you a question without you freaking out?”  
The other man chuckled. “That depends.” His smile died as he caught a glimpse of Mitchell’s dark expression. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He put his hand beyond Mitchell’s chin and gently lifted it. Mitchell looked him in the eyes and swallowed. “What was that sentinel letter about?”  
Gideon froze. Then he swallowed, moved his hand away and stared into the night. “I wanted to talk to you about that. After Christmas.”  
“But why?”  
Gideon shrugged. “Because I was looking forward to this.” He looked at Mitchell. “I had other plans than ruining this with…stuff…”  
“Gid’, you’re scaring me.”  
“Hey.” Gideon gently took the glass from Mitchell’s hands, putting it on the floor, and held onto Mitchell’s hands. “You don’t have to be scared. It’s just…” He sighed and let his hands go to rake one of his own through his hair as if searching for the right words between them. “Sentinel offered me a new job. Not active duty, not medic. But…something.”  
“What kind of job?”  
“Instructor for basic training. Without field duty. Only training missions. Permanent stationing at your base.”  
Mitchell swallowed. “Okay…”  
Gideon looked at him with a frown. “Okay? I thought you were going to be mad.”  
“Why would I?”  
“Because it’s military work again. I’d be less of a civilian than now. It’s more demanding, with regard to…” he pointed at his leg “this. And it would mean that I would have to give up my studies.”  
Mitchell frowned. “They can’t force you, you know that?”  
Gideon chuckled. “I know. That’s not it. It’s…” he rubbed his hand over his forehead. “I really wanted the study thing to work. And I think in another life, I would have been a good doctor. But in this…Sentinel is offering to let me scratch an urge that I can barely keep in check.”  
“You miss it.”  
Gideon nodded. “Terribly.”  
Mitchell sighed and put an arm around Gideon, pulling him closer. “I get it, Gideon. And I am not mad. If this is what you want, I am all for it.”  
“But…I thought that maybe you’d think that I would fall back into old patterns…”  
Mitchell sighed. “Are you planning to let them send you into any suicide missions and getting injured?”  
“Of course not.”

“Then I don’t see you falling back into old patterns. As long as it’s not active duty, I’m good. And even if it were…if you were fit enough for it, who would I be to hold you back? You’ve learned that you are more than your military career, but being a soldier is still an important part of your identity, and I get that. It’s also part of mine. I mean why do you think I still work for Sentinel? I’d miss it if I didn’t. Even I sometimes miss the missions. The thrill of it. The celebration afterwards. The feeling of doing something useful.”  
“You’re doing far more useful things than firing a gun nowadays…”  
“I know. That’s not the point. I just mean that I understand you. I couldn’t be an instructor. But you can be. And if you want to be one, go for it, Gid’. You’re not betraying our new life just because you pick up a new job.” He turned to Gideon and lay his hands on his cheeks. “As long as you’re happy, I’m good. Okay?”  
Gideon slowly nodded. “I just made a mountain out of a molehill, didn’t I?”  
Mitchell chuckled. “Maybe. I’m just a tad mad that you really thought I’d have a problem with that. But since it’s Christmas, I’m willing to let it slide.”  
Gideon smiled at him and they looked each other in the eyes before Gideon glanced back inside.   
“Jack?”  
“Hm?”  
“I know we said we wouldn’t exchange presents before tomorrow morning and I really planned to wait until then, but they” he pointed back inside “are busy and I just can’t not do it right now so…”  
He put his hand in his pocket, pulling a little box in gift wrap out. Mitchell frowned and took it. “You really want me to open it now?”  
Gideon nodded and Mitchell started unwrapping the box, revealing a lengthy casket. He frowned. Mitchell opened the box and felt his eyes swell up the second he looked at what lay inside.  
It was Gideon’s old dog tag. He lifted it out of the box, looking at the front, where Gideon’s name was engraved.  
“Turn it around.” Gideon’s voice was a rough whisper right now, barely hiding that he was nervous. Mitchell slowly tuned the tag in his hands and then his lips burst into a smile.  
The back of the tag had been altered. A new engraving said _“Gideon Mitchell or Jack Emery, you get to pick. If you’re up for it.”  
_ Mitchell looked up to Gideon, his eyes full of tears and just nodded before a laughter and a “of course I’m up for it” escaped his lips.  
Gideon smiled with a watery glance, lifting the tag out of Mitchell’s hands “Well then, just to be sure: “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you more than I could ever put into words. But I want to show you how much, so I’ll ask properly: Will you marry me, Jack Mitchell?”  
Mitchell’s answer was another nod an then he just kissed Gideon until they were both breathless. Gideon held onto him, the blanket gliding from their shoulders, and stroke his wet cheeks with his hands. “I…” His voice died so he just smiled and Mitchell let his forehead gently lean against Gideon’s. “I love you too, Gid’. Always have. Always will.”  
“Well then.” Gideon took a step back and lifted the tag to put it around Mitchell’s neck. “I thought this suited us better than a ring.”  
Mitchell nodded, touching the tag that had been through so much in the past. “I love it. I have another present for you that now seems pretty lame in contrast…” Gideon wanted to interrupt him, but Mitchell shook his head, laughing. “No really, it is lamer than a marriage proposal, but anyway. I’d like to add my old tag, if I may. If you want to wear it.”  
Gideon nodded. “I’d love to.”  
They kissed.  
  
“Hey, lovebirds.” Ilona pocked her head outside just as Gideon had started to let his hands wander under Mitchell’s shirt. “If this turned into an engagement party, we’re going to need more vodka. And hosts who at least wait with the fucking until their guests are gone.”  
They all laughed and Gideon took the empty bottle from her hands. Before he could react, Ilona pulled him and Mitchell into a hug. “Congratulations, you idiots.” She smelled like a lot of vodka, but they both felt she really meant it.

The rest of Christmas ran smoothly. Mitchell’s mother congratulated them on their new engagement with a smile that seemed insecure, but honest. She and Mitchell took a long walk on their own to talk shit over while Gideon and Mitchell’s stepdad talked about fishing at length. After the visitors left, there was still enough old anger between Mitchell and his mother to build a mountain out of it, but the mountain had at least shrinked a little. Maybe they’d even invite her to the wedding when the time came. Maybe.  
  
When all guests were gone, they spend their next free days in pyjamas, watching television interrupted by sex and eating leftovers.   
  
“So, what’s your conclusion about your first ‘proper’ Christmas?”, Mitchell asked, his head in Gideon’s lap. Gideon looked down at him, wiping a stand of hair from his face.  
“I fucking loved it.”  
“Even the tree?”  
“Especially the tree and the fact that there’s glitter in every single spot of this flat now.”  
Mitchell chuckled. “So we’ll do it again next year?”  
Gideon shuffled to pull him up to eye-level and kiss him.   
“Every year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was overly fluffy and cute and everyone got a happy ending but you know what? I needed it.  
> In times like this, I need nice things. So I wrote a nice thing for me. And I hope maybe it made on of you smile too.
> 
> Have a merry Christmas, even though it will be a difficult one for all of us.  
> We're all in this together and I hope this time next year, we'll all still have our loved ones to celebrate with.  
> And if you don't celebrate christmas, I still hope you're save and healthy and with someone you love.
> 
> Take care and maybe leave a comment if you like. I'm a sucker for those ;)


End file.
